


Playing with traitors

by kylux_nonsense



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Emperor Armitage Hux, Knight Kylo Ren, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, look i wanna finish this but i don't know if i will
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:02:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22427533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kylux_nonsense/pseuds/kylux_nonsense
Summary: Self indulgent Emperor Hux content, because I'm still stuck on that after everything.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has been sitting in my notes a long time, enjoy if it's your kind of thing

"You really should get better at hiding your thoughts, General. Your ambitions border on treason."

The words only partially registered in Hux's mind at first, lying with Ren after a particularly athletic session of hate-fucking. About half a second later they pierced the fog and Hux stiffened with fear. 

He had been open with Ren about his desire to become Grand Marshal, after all, such a title was no threat to Snoke's authority, and it would almost seem more suspicious to have no further ambitions at all, but when he allowed himself the pleasure of fantasy he went much further than that. Visions of thrones and crowns, the galaxy kneeling before him, danced in his mind. 

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean." Play innocent, see his intent, find out what he knows. Why would Ren bring it up instead of going straight to Snoke and having him killed?

"I'm sure you do. I figured it out months ago, just after we started this, how you were planning on swaying me away from Snoke, luring me to your side." Hux was near panic now, surely Ren would summon his lightsaber from the entry where it was discarded amongst their clothes, and put an end to him for his treason. 

Ren could of course sense his panic in the Force, Hux was still building his walls back up after the sex, and even the strongest walls would struggle to hide his growing panic. "Ren, I," Hux paused, unsure of the right course. He wasn't necessarily above begging for his life, although the thought was distasteful. If he was certain there was no way out he would rather die with his dignity intact, or at least as intact as it could be lying naked next to Kylo Ren.

Then Ren laughed. Not the dangerous kind of sound that comes out when someone is about to commit murder, but a warm laugh, a sound intended to calm him. "Hux, I'm not going to kill you. It worked. I knew and I let it happen. Even if I wanted to back out now, to tell Snoke what I know I'd have to tell him how long I hid it from him. That would go about as well for me as it would for you."

"You're serious? What possible reason could you have at this point? All we do is scream at each other and then fall into bed." Hux figured that no matter if Ren was lying now, his best shot was to get more information. If he could keep Ren talking long enough he could think of a way out with his life at least.

"Why? Simple. You're not afraid of me. Everyone else, even Snoke, is afraid of what I can do with the Force. I surpassed him a long time ago, that's why he doesn't already know about your ambitions. My parents were afraid of me, when I couldn't control the Force. They sent me to Skywalker. He was afraid of me when he sensed darkness in me. In a way, he sent me to Snoke, when he tried to kill me. When Snoke realizes that he can't control me anymore he'll have to kill me, because there's nowhere else to send me. I figure that makes me the highest authority left, and I'm no politician, no matter who my mother wanted me to be." At the end of his explanation, Ren seemed to realize that he'd shared too much of his past. Hux didn't know who his parents were, or what had happened at the training temple. 

Hux didn't respond for a while, processing all the new information. For Ren it was like watching someone solve a puzzle, all the pieces were there, just not in the right order yet.

For Hux it was rather a lot like solving a puzzle. He had always had a visual imagination and on occasion he solved problems by envisioning them as a literal puzzle, pieces fitting together one by one to make the whole picture. When he got everything lined up, there were still a few gaps left, but the reference to his mother being a politician, coupled with Ren's obsession with Vader, gave him a reasonably solid guess as to the identity of his parents, and therefore the particular intensity of his feelings surrounding Skywalker. That puzzle did not, however, help him solve the riddle of wether or not Ren was to be believed, or why he was bringing this up now.

As though that thought was plucked from his mind (it probably was, damned Force users) Ren continued.

"Now, because I have to go back to Snoke tomorrow. He's going to try and kill me, and when I kill him I'd like to have someone else to give the Order to, there's no way I can run the damn thing myself." Ren laughed again, at the sheer absurdity of the idea of him in charge of the whole First Order.

Hux snorted at that idea too, mostly at the idea of Ren handling the kind of day to day nonsense the Supreme Leader should be responsible for. "What do you get out of it? And how do I know you won't go and trade me in for someone else when you decide that you hate me again?" 

Hux sat up and Ren followed suit, turning to face each other as though they weren't both naked and covered is sweat and grime from their earlier activities.

"I have three conditions that will cover both of those concerns. One, let me hunt down Skywalker and the resistance, and then continue to recover ancient Sith and Jedi artifacts for study and to increase my power. Two, don't ever become afraid of me. Three, keep up the sex, I wouldn't keep coming back if I didn't enjoy it."

"I don't see how that answers my second question. What happens when you're sick of me?"

"By the time that would even become possible, every other person in the galaxy would be afraid of me. Every attack I carry out at your direction will only tie me to you tighter. This is how it was always destined to be, the truth of it is in the Force. I haven't told you a single lie tonight. I'm going to go clean up and let you think, since you're clearly not believing me yet." 

As Ren walked to the 'fresher, Hux absently picked up his datapad and ordered a droid to come and replace the dirty sheets, mind moving faster than most people could handle to find any loophole Ren had left in his statements.

Several minutes later he still hadn't figured it out, and Ren was finished in the 'fresher, stepping out with a towel around his waist and going to sit on the ice blue sofa, one of the few indulgences he allowed himself in his quarters. "You can go clean yourself up now, General." Ah, so they were back to formality again. That often happened soon after they recovered from sex, the professional act returning between them.

Hux stood and moved to the 'fresher, opting, as Ren had, for a proper water shower rather than a sonic. For the sake of his muscles the morning after more than anything else. As he worked the shampoo through his hair he considered what possible purpose Ren could have if he were lying, and came up blank. Either he would walk out of the 'fresher and find Ren still there, still talking about treason, or he'd be gone and Hux would likely die soon after. The whole affair was out of his hands.

When he did step back out into the main room Ren was still there, with the far away look in his eyes that usually meant he was seeking guidance from the Force. When Hux finished changing into a sleep shirt and regulation undershorts he turned to go back into the bedroom, intending to leave Ren to his meditation.

Ren's eyes refocused and sought out Hux in the room, before he stood from the sofa and took two long steps towards him. Hux saw determination in his eyes and turned to face Ren, unsure of what exactly was coming next.

What did come next should not have been as surprising as it was, if Hux had been willing to believe Ren and take his words at face value.

Ren dropped to one knee and reached out for Hux's hand, kissing his knuckles where a ring might sit. "Emperor, if you so command it, I will go tomorrow and kill Snoke. The galaxy will fall at your feet."

Hux paused for barely a fraction of a second, mentally slipping into the role to match Ren's intent for the exchange, a role he had let himself play in his mind perhaps too often. "Go, my Knight, destroy him and return to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> conveniently, this functions as a follow up to all of the squillion (excellent) stories that stop here, almost like that was what i was reading before i wrote this lmao


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning found Ren already departed by the time Hux got up for his bridge shift, taking his shuttle to wherever Snoke was based. A quick breakfast of caf and a ration bar, no more than he had most days but absolutely as much as he could stomach that morning, and he was out the door, determined not to let his possible impending death get in the way of his job. 

When Ren didn't return or make any contact for a full standard week he let himself be a little concerned, waiting for a holocall from Snoke to reveal either Ren's lie or Ren's failure and subsequent death. 

Another two days after that and he was at the absolute limit. The crew didn't know what it was that had set off his bad mood, but they were well and truly aware of it, practically jumping out of his way as he stalked the corridors of the Finalizer. He realized that this was not typical behaviour from him, and was in fact very much like Ren, but he rationalized that it was not a typical situation.

\---

It was the middle of Hux's shift on the bridge on the eleventh day of Ren's absence when a docking request came through from Ren's Upsilon class shuttle. He cleared it immediately and contemplated going to the hangar to meet him, but decided against it. If Ren had returned to kill him, he had no desire to rush towards it, and if by some miracle he had come to give him the First Order, he wanted it to happen in front of his officers on the bridge. He settled for sending a message to Ren that he was on the bridge, and then turned off notifications on his personal comm channel.

Five minutes later, a heavily injured and bleeding Ren stumbled onto the bridge, having waved away the medical team when he saw the message from Hux.

Silence fell around them as Ren moved towards Hux, stopping a few paces short and drawing a ragged breath to speak.

"Supreme Leader Snoke is dead. He could not beat me in combat, and therefore is no longer fit to be my master or the leader of the First Order. I claim my right as his apprentice, to be recognized as the most powerful Force user in the galaxy. The Force is, however, separate from the First Order, and the line of succession here is tangled."

He turned to face Hux, obviously having rehearsed whatever else he was about to say.

"General Hux, will you swear now, with officers of the First Order as witness, to uphold the objectives and beliefs of the First Order always and in all things?"

It took Hux almost no time, and still longer than he wanted, to find an appropriately formal response. "I will." Simple is best, sometimes.

"Will you ensure the wellbeing of those on planets and ships under your rule?" Ren took a step towards him.

"I will."

"Will you bring order to the galaxy?" Another step.

"I will."

"Then I, as Snoke's successor in the Force, proclaim you to be his successor in the First Order." He took the last step forward and dropped to one knee. "All hail Emperor Hux!"

The officers around them repeated the words, with varying levels of enthusiasm. Mitaka had a gleam in his eye that betrayed his absolute adoration of Hux. Most matched the words with at least a salute, if not more, and Hux took careful note of the ones who did not, or seemed unhappy with this turn of events.

With a simple nod, the bridge crew returned to the task of directing the Finalizer through space.

"Peavey is already planning treason." The words came from Ren, now standing at his side, speaking softly so only Hux would hear. "Shall I make an example of him?"

"I wish that was a surprise to me. It would be a shame to kill him if it's not strictly necessary though, he's good at his job. No, for now let him scheme, go get yourself cleaned up and at least get bacta on the worst of the wounds, I won't have you bleeding out on my ship."

"Yes, Emperor." And with that, Ren walked from the bridge, having regained his stability somewhat after his mad dash through the ship to do as he had promised.

Several hours passed mostly as normal, before the end of Hux's shift on the bridge, and when he handed over and left the bridge to return to his quarters, he found himself walking the same way as several other officers who finished their shifts at the same time. Mostly it was the same as the end of any other shift, but as most of the officers peeled off to their own quarters or the bar, Mitaka stayed close. Hux knew Mitaka, well enough to know that the young man had something to say, but he wasn't sure how best to say it.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" He did his best to soften his tone slightly, he didn't want to scare him away. Despite his usual standards he was willing to put up with an unusual amount of anxiousness from Mitaka, if for no other reason than he knew how much the man idolized him, and it was worth a little inconvenience to keep someone so loyal close.

Mitaka was startled by Hux's sudden question breaking the silence, but quickly gathered his thoughts. "I just wanted to say congratulations, Emperor, and inquire as to wether there was anything I could do for you, beyond my usual duties to the Order of course."

Hux allowed himself the smallest of smiles, basking in his new title for a fraction of a second. "Thank you, Lieutenant. There is something actually. Keep an eye on Captain Peavey, take note of anything suspicious, and especially of anyone you see him talking with in the next few days. Report back to me if you find anything of note, with the highest secrecy of course." He knew it was a risk, to inform Mitaka that he was suspicious of his own officers already, but he could not pass up the opportunity to use Peavey to ferret out other traitors before they really had a chance to make their move.

"Yes, Emperor." Mitaka matched the affirmation with a salute, and turned in the direction of the bar, where Peavey was likely to go after his shift.

Hux eventually arrived at his quarters with the feeling that perhaps he should seek out Ren and discuss what exactly had happened, but decided against it. if Ren was to be a weapon for his new empire then he would need to learn to heal himself properly between battles, lest he become permanently injured.

Instead he sat on his sofa with a glass of his favourite whiskey and considered what he might want his new uniform to look like, since he obviously needed an upgrade. Perhaps a cape.

**Author's Note:**

> leave a kudos maybe? i'm a little stuck with were to go from where i am but maybe i'll figure something out


End file.
